


Marvelous

by Reysagents



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Ben Solo is a Mess, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Movie: Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Protective Ben Solo, Rey Needs A Hug, Reylo - Freeform, Soft Ben Solo, Star Wars: The Last Jedi Fix-It, Star Wars: The Last Jedi References, Star Wars: The Last Jedi Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:28:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24226633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reysagents/pseuds/Reysagents
Summary: This is a twist on what could have happened during the hand touch scene on Ahch-To if Luke hadn't so rudely interrupted. This is really short and I wrote it over a year ago so it might not sound or have the same feel as my more recent works! Enjoy!
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 2
Kudos: 42





	Marvelous

“I thought I would find answers here,” A voice said. A familiar voice. One that Ben had heard in dreams, in nightmares. He sat for a moment, contemplating the words that tumbled from the lips attached to the figment sitting across from him that somehow was still lightyears away. The voice continues with an air of defeat, “I was wrong.”

Ben met the gaze of a woman sitting across from him. She was exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally, and yet she was still beautiful. Still the scavenger, still the last Jedi, still Rey. 

Still here.

Somehow. 

Her eyes were glistening with fresh tears that threatened to spill over and she clutched a thin woven blanket around her shoulders like a lifeline. Her tear-lined breaths echoed off the walls of the tiny hut on Ahch-To where they both sat in strangling silence. Ben could hardly bear it. Partially the silence, mostly the story. Listening to Rey tell him about her life story was something he never thought would happen, and yet here he was. She choked on sobs when talking about her drunken family that abandoned her when she was only a child, leaving her to grow up alone and scared in the scorched desert wasteland of Jakku. She told tales of sunburns so bad her skin blistered; about the days she would go without food because she couldn’t find anything to salvage. He tried to hide the wince when she started talking about Unkar Plutt and the harassment and beratement he bestowed upon her. She had been abused her whole life at the hands of those who claimed they had her best interest at heart, and as much as he hated to admit it; as much as he knew he shouldn’t; it tore him apart. He saw a lot of himself in her, as did she.

It scared them both to death.

He couldn’t help but think about his troubled past and how similar it was to hers. Abandoned by his family at a young age, left alone to figure things out. To figure himself out. The only real difference between them was the side they chose in the process. His dark, hers light. But the more time they spent together, the more it melded into a sort of grey. Despite their differences, he felt the overwhelming need to comfort her. He knew he shouldn’t but he wasn’t too proud to admit to himself that there was a part of him that cared deeply for the scavenger. She’d practically just spilled her soul to him and it appeared there was nothing left in her but empty tears and shaky breaths, and it hurt him. So without thinking he spoke gently to her. Across the fire; across the galaxy. 

“You’re not alone.”

Rey’s eyes snapped up to meet him and he couldn’t quite figure out what she thought of him. Was it hate? Sadness? Confusion? Hope? Just as he was about to retract his statement, her lips parted and ever so quietly she said, 

“Neither are you.” 

He met her teary gaze with his as her lip twitched upward into a sliver of a smile. He couldn’t help but stare at the way her lip curled just so. She was beautifully illuminated in the light of the dying embers. Everything about her shone gold. 

“It’s not too late,” she said. Startling him out of his thoughts. 

He knew what she was talking about. She wanted him to return to the light, but no matter how much he wanted to, how much he tried, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. There were so many things he’d done. Awful things. He couldn't forgive himself for that. He couldn’t disappoint the people that he knew deep down did not care about him. There would always be a shred of darkness in him, that was inevitable, but maybe that wasn’t the point. Maybe the point was that he didn’t need to forgive himself because someone already had. He looked at her and his eyes flitted to her hand as it shakily emerged from under her blanket. Rey reached for his fingers, slowly, gingerly, as if she were to touch him they would both shatter into a million pieces. He sucked in a breath and removed his glove. He looked down at his fingers and to his surprise they were trembling. No one had ever made a move to touch him like this, and he was afraid. 

With one hand, Rey clutched her blanket around herself, and with the other she stretched her shaking fingertips out to him. She watched Ben with a hesitant gaze as his shaking fingers found hers, and she gasped when they made contact. He couldn’t help but gaze into her deep brown eyes, but before he even had time to wonder what she was thinking, her fingers moved up in front of his face, like she wanted to touch him, but was afraid to. “Is this some sort of trap?” he thought to himself. But she didn’t move any farther. She didn’t hurt him, didn’t summon her lightsaber, didn’t do anything but hold her hand up in the air, inches away from his cheek. Instinctively he grabbed her wrist. Her hands were freezing despite the warm climate of the island. Fear struck Rey in her gut which reflected in the flicker of panic that shone in her eyes in the dim firelight, but she pressed it down, waiting first to see what would come of this. Ben rose from where he was sitting and instead kneeled down in front of Rey, her wrist still secured in his fingers. 

“Ben,” she whispered. He looked at her with tears in his eyes as she gingerly lowered her free fingers to the scar on his cheek, tracing the line she herself had made with a gentle pressure. She felt guilt. So much of it. She had done this to him, and it showed on his face.

“It’s okay,” Ben said. 

“What?” She whispered cautiously.

“The scar. It’s okay. I forgive you,” he said with a small smile. “It’s nothing.”

Rey sniffed and smiled a painful smile, “But I did that to you.”

“And I’m reminded of that every time I look at myself,” he said. “I’m reminded of the night a powerful scavenger girl bested me with a lightsaber she had never held. It keeps me humble-” He paused. “-And curious.” They both shared a quiet smile before he spoke again. “Rey, you best me,” he said. “Not just in battle, but in every aspect of everything.” he cupped the side of her face with his hand. A tear slid down her cheek. No one had ever touched her like that before. She was equally as afraid. tears threatened to spill over in the both of them, and as Ben spoke, his voice shook. “I know I don’t deserve your compassion or your empathy or anything about you but I need you to help me. I can’t do this by myself. Believe me I’ve tried and it’s tearing me apart.” He searched her eyes once more. “I need you Rey,” he said. His hand slipped off her cheek in shame and guilt as he looked down at the floor. “You make me better.”

Rey took his chin in her hand, forcing him to meet her gaze. She glowed gold in the light of the dying embers.

“I know,” she smiled.

With that he couldn’t help himself. He grabbed her face in his hands and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. At first, she was hesitant, but her hesitation quickly melted into relief, into peace. Into hope. She wrapped one hand around the back of his neck and planted the other one firmly on his shoulder kissing him back, tenderly, with eagerness, desperately trying to give all the light inside of her to him. He furrowed his brow and kissed her again with desperation, trying so hard to accept what she had to offer. He could taste the salty sea air on her lips. It was intoxicating. 

Rey pulled away and bit her lip with a small smile. Something inside of him realized that this was what he needed. He needed her. It was like a part of him that was once dormant was now awake and desperate for her. Something was reaching for her light. Ben gazed up at Rey from his kneeling position and drank in the sight of her. Perhaps this was all he ever really needed. Love; a feeling of complete and utter selflessness. For so long he’d tried and tried to give himself to something; the dark side, the First Order, Snoke. But now, in this perfect moment, he realized that all he’d ever wanted was to give himself to her. He met her gaze and with his heart completely and utterly full, he kissed her again. She laughed an angel’s laugh and she smiled against his lips. 

He decided right then that that was right where he needed to be.

He may have been the feared Kylo Ren and she may have been the last Jedi; but in this moment, they were neither light nor dark. They were human. They were whole. 

And he thought her marvelous.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I always appreciate feedback!


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